Catch-Up Rambling

Days have just been speeding.  Time stops for no one, even though I wish it would slow down for me. I have so much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done.  I thought once the daylight hours increased that I would be OK…not!  I just added more tasks/activities to my schedule.

I have been busy with my regular chores (minus writing this blog), my daily walks which always includes birdwatching with my canine buddies, gardening/mowing, and thoroughly cleaning the kitchen cabinets – ugh - I hate to clean.  But, since the ceiling was painted two weeks ago and the kitchen counters were cleared out for the job, it is the perfect time to tackle the cabinets.  Cleaning is also including a bit of down-sizing of kitchen tools/utensils/bake and cook ware that I no longer use.  This down-sizing is a bit of challenge for a packrat like me, but I am seeing some progress.   I also tossed a bunch of old, very old food that had been tucked in the back of the pantry cabinet.  Now, there is plenty of space for the food we actually eat.  And, I did not actually toss the old food.  It was enjoyed by the chickens.  No waste for us.

As you can see, I am not very fast in the cleaning of kitchen cabinets.  I am only about one-third done.  I would rather be outside gardening. But, I try to complete a bit every day. Yesterday, Glenn smoked up the kitchen with his cooking which did not make me happy. My freshly painted ceiling, my clean cabinets.  I wonder how much film adhered to the clean one-third? 

The past few days have been quite wet and combined with the showers we received at the end of April, my gardens and the entire farm is quite lush and green.  The spring flowers are gorgeous.  My yard is full of flowering irises – bearded, Japanese, Siberian and Dutch – orange, copper, white, periwinkle, purple, yellow, yellow combined with purple.  Some I planted and most have spread about on their own.  I could not have planned the plantings better. Oh, I cannot forget the common iris…not at all showy like my other varieties, but the one with fullest, sweetest fragrance.  The scent from one stem can permeate the entire house – fabulous! Other flowers currently in full bloom are: azalea, rhododendron, soapwort, bridal veil, money plant, spiderwort, and leadwort.  It is a good thing I have plenty of perennials as they grow and blossom at will.  My annuals and vegetable garden…not so much.

I still need to get out and plant some annuals, mostly sunflowers, and most of my vegetables. The sugar snap peas and radishes have been planted and are growing nicely.  But, I still have a lot more to plant.  Good thing we have a long growing season here.  A late planting only results in a later harvest which is fine with me. That makes the canning and preserving when the temperatures are a bit cooler.

More seasonal birds are starting to return and mingle with our year-round feathered friends.  I love the diversity and the challenge of trying to get one good photo of each species.  Buddy has always been conscience of my picture taking and sits quietly.  Finally, Snowball has learned the routine and sits at my side…occasionally.  He tries.

Snowball is a bit lost, at the moment, since Glenn sold our entire flock of hair sheep about two weeks ago.  The coyotes finally did us in.  Snowball was a big help in the protecting the sheep, but he was not 100%.  We were nearing the end of lambing, so ram, ewes, pregnant ewes and all the little cute lambs, born to date, were sold.  The farm is a lot quieter now, but it still feels like something is missing. 

And, Snowball needs a new job.  Hmmm….